


The Endearing Kind of Awkward

by uglowian



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy, MCR - Fandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Cute, Ficlet, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 03:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uglowian/pseuds/uglowian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pete makes good on all that twitter-flirting he's been doing with Gerard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Endearing Kind of Awkward

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta'd, untitled, one-off ficlet for dapatty that started off as a reciprocal drabble for her birthday--but hey, it turns out I'm verbose.

_nothing says smooth and subtle like ego-stroking. i'm taking notes, wentz_  
  
Since he can't actually give Mikey a withering look, Pete makes a face at his phone.  So what if he picked up a copy of first few issues of _The Umbrella Academy_ in Chicago?  So what if he happened to tweet a photo of said issues, and tag Gerard in it,  _and_  say 'thinking of good friends and good times'? Why is that even worth commenting on, Mikey? That's what he wants to know.     
  
Outside of his bunk: the muffled sounds of Joe and Patrick talking.  The tourbus sways; the distant rush of the road.       
  
He hits the message window.     
  
_not my fault your brother doesn't pick up on any of my more delicate flirtations_      
  
He's mostly joking. Except for the part about flirting.  
  
His phone  _bzzt_ 's, announcing Mikey's reply.     
  
_please. he wants your dick so bad_      
  
Pete almost chokes on his tongue.  He hits 'call' and brings the phone to his ear.  Mikey answers on the second ring.    
  
"Hi Pete."     
  
"Dude, seriously?"    
  
"You sound stressed."     
  
"Look--don't--okay first of all. You don't get to just say shit like that to me--"     
  
"What shit?"     
  
He makes a helpless gesture with his hand, well aware that Patrick and Joe are still just outside his bunk, and can probably hear this whole conversation--and when did he start giving a goddamn about who could hear what? It's not like he's planning on proposing to Gerard Way or something.     
  
"Just--about dicks.  You can't--"     
  
"Say that Gerard wants yours?"     
  
Pete can pretty much hear Mikey smirking. "Dude!"     
  
"It's not like it's less true if I don't say it."     
  
"He's your  _brother_."     
  
"Yeah, and? We look out for each other."     
  
"I made out with you! Multiple times!"     
  
"Still not seeing what this has to do with Gerard's relationship to your dick."     
  
"Would you just--" Pete puts his hand over his eyes.  "Okay. No.  Whatever."     
  
"So you'll call him?"     
  
" _What_?"     
  
"Pete."  Mikey has the audacity to sound long-suffering.  "Is there some other way that I can spell this out for you? All your weird whatevering on Twitter aside, Gerard hasn't shut up about you for like...a long time.  I think the only time he's stopped listening to your album in the last three days was to call me and tell me about how it made him want to script a new comic book.  It's like actively painful for me, watching the two of you...twitter-flirt...instead of acting like normal people and just fucking talking to each other."     
  
"You realize you're basically trying to push your sloppy seconds off on your brother, right?"   
  
Mikey makes an amused noise.  "I like to think I molded you into some semblance of a respectable fuckbuddy.  And I fully expect you to make Gerard happy."     
  
"You guys are the weirdest family."     
  
"Call him."     
  
Before Pete can argue, the line goes dead.  Fuck you too, Mikeyway.     
  
\-     
  
He doesn't call Gerard because Mikey says so.   He calls Gerard because they're playing LA in two days, and if Gerard really likes the album that much, maybe he wants to come to the show, and even if he doesn't, Pete has some time before soundcheck to like…grab coffee. Or, you know. Whatever.     
  
"You're--what?" Gerard sounds distracted, or far away, like he's got his phone on speaker.       
  
Pete sprawls over the bus's couch and pointedly ignores Andy's inquisitive look.     
  
"The LA show," he reiterates.  "If you wanna hang backstage or…like. Get coffee. I mean, if you're busy, don't stress. I just wanted to give you the option?"     
  
"No, dude, sorry, I--Lindsay, have you seen--oh! Oh! Never mind! I found it!"     
  
Pete tries not to wince.  He'll never not be surprised by how Gerard's voice gets all squeaky when he gets excited.  It's equal parts startling and endearing.     
  
"So," he tries again, "if you can't come, don't worry. Just putting it out there."     
  
"Hey, sorry," Gerard sounds significantly closer to the phone this time.  "I'm here now. And--the show?"     
  
Pete feels a little like he's running around in circles. "Yeah. Thursday night."     
  
"Seriously?"     
  
"Totally."     
  
"Yeah, no, I'd love to!"  His voice practically cracks on the last syllable.     
  
Pete can't not grin.  "Awesome."     
  
\-     
  
The thing is, between the two Brothers Way, Pete knows a whole lot about Mikey and…not very much about Gerard. They hung out together, sometimes, all those summers ago, but it wasn't exactly a one-on-one thing.  Mostly, he remembers Gerard as Mikey's quieter, weirder older brother who spent his off stage time drawing monsters and hiding behind his dark hair. So when he shows up for soundcheck, Pete has a moment of panic, wondering what they're going to talk about,  _if_  they'll have anything to talk about, if he's going to singlehandedly blow it by being nervous and awkward--and. Okay. He didn't realize he had anything at stake here, so…deep breaths.     
  
From the empty floor, Gerard smiles and waves.     
  
Pete grins back.     
  
And somehow, this makes everything okay.  Soundcheck goes fine--and Gerard mostly seems intent on staying out of the way, up through the actual show itself. Pete feels a little guilty, but for the most part, he appreciates the consideration. It's nice to have room to get into show-headspace.       
  
While they're playing, he sees Gerard lingering in the wings, described in the thin washes of spillover light. They share a glance, once, right in the middle of  _Thnks Fr Th Mrmrs_.   
  
Another smile.    
  
A rush of sound.     
  
\-     
  
"You're really reading these."  Gerard stands in the changing room, Pete's second issue of _Umbrella_ in his hands.     
  
Pete slings his towel around his neck. "Of course.  What--did you think I was just throwing empty flattery your way?"     
  
Gerard's mouth curls into a slanted grin. "Nah." He riffles the pages with his thumb. "It's just funny. You don't expect things to turn out the way they do."     
  
If by 'things' he means 'making awkward small-talk with your quasi-ex's older brother with whom you more than incidentally want to make out' then, yes, Pete would agree that you don't expect things to turn out the way they do.    
  
He rubs at his temple with his towel. "I like them a lot," he says. "The books, I mean. I keep telling Hurley to read them. He's the comics veteran around here."   
  
Gerard's smile softens into something slightly more bashful. "Thanks. And thanks for having me--the show was great."   
  
"Yeah well. We aim to please."   
  
The corners of Gerard's eyes wrinkle. Silence settles. Pete can hear a strange, high-pitched tone just on the fringes of his own perception.   
  
For one awful moment, he isn't sure if he should keep looking at Gerard.   
  
He rocks up on the balls of his feet. "So, uh. I'm picking Bronx up in the morning for some hangout time, but I have a few free hours tonight before I have to crash if you want to...like. Do something?"   
  
Gerard laughs a little. "Something?"   
  
"Yeah. I don't really know...what, exactly."   
  
"I have a lot of really bad movies back at my place."   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"Like all of the Halloween movies. We just can't make tons of noise; Bandit will want to come and play."   
  
Pete grins. "Sounds great."     
  
\-     
  
They meet at Gerard's car, after Pete has rinsed off and changed. The nighttime settles over them, cool and clear, and Pete is pretty sure he's never done anything so high school since he was actually in high school. Gerard looks strange in the pallor of the streetlamps, his eyes suddenly overlarge in a very delicate face.   
  
He's smoking a cigarette, and, at Pete's approach, he exhales and smiles, and the smoke thins to nothing between them, ephemeral.   
  
"Nice car," Pete remarks.   
  
Gerard drops the cigarette to the ground, stamping it out with his heel. "Thanks. I...really like cars."   
  
"Huh."   
  
"What?"   
  
"Just--I wouldn't have called that."   
  
That slanted smile again. "Yeah, I contain multitudes or whatever."   
  
Pete laughs. "Well. I'm ready if you are."   
  
Gerard jangles his keys. "Hop in."   
  
They drive with the windows mostly down, the city scrolling past the highway in a neon rush. Pete tucks his hands under his thighs so that he doesn't fidget and he wonders how it is that Gerard can drive without music to fill the silence.  His throat feels tight.   
  
He watches the streetlights strobe over them.   
  
"Hey." Gerard's voice sounds a little strained, like he's working to keep his tone even.   
  
Pete looks at him. "Yeah?"   
  
"Just to be clear--and at the risk of sounding like an asshole--we're not just going to watch movies at my place, right?"   
  
"Uh--"   
  
"I mean. Um. Okay. So that was a shitty way to ask that question.  I just kind of thought it might be fun to...kiss, maybe?"   
  
His voice actually cracks on the word 'kiss' and Pete nearly laughs. Gerard apparently takes the beat of silence for rebuke.   
  
"I mean, obviously we don't have to.  I--well I'm mostly an idiot, but I also appreciate you as a complete person and not just for your makeout potential or whatever."   
  
Pete actually does laugh, now. "Oh my god."   
  
Gerard cringes a little. "I don't know what 'oh my god' means."   
  
"It means you're great, and yeah, I was hoping that movies were a front for kissing."   
  
"Were you also hoping I'd have a more refined hookup game?"   
  
Pete laughs again. "Awkward fumbling is actually kind of my thing, so you're good."   
  
Gerard grins weakly. "Oh good."     
  
\-     
  
All told, Gerard Way's proficiency at kissing more than makes up for his lack of game. And like, maybe it's the way Gerard seems to pay particular attention to Pete's reactions, or maybe it's that there's nothing quite like making out to the backdrop of _The Creature From The Black Lagoon_ , but Pete's pretty sure he could do this again. Many times over.   
  
Once he realizes that he's lost track of time, and that he probably really should get some rest, it takes no small amount of willpower to call it quits. Gently, he pushes at Gerard's chest, urging him to stop.  
  
"What time is it, even?" Gerard asks.   
  
Semi-trapped beneath the welcome press of Gerard's weight, Pete cranes one arm around, reaching for his phone where it lies all but forgotten on the end table. "Shit. 2 a.m."   
  
"Jesus."   
  
"Yeah--I should go."   
  
Gerard rests his head against Pete's shoulder. "You should."   
  
And he shifts to sit up, and Pete feels weightless without the press of Gerard's body against his.   
  
"This was fun," Gerard says.   
  
Pete ducks his head a little. "Yeah. Thanks."  
  
"Do you need me to drop you off somewhere?"   
  
"No, I'll call a cab."   
  
"Okay." Gerard tugs a hand through his hair. It doesn't do much to make him look any less disheveled.   
  
Pete grins, because he can't help it.   
  
"What?" Gerard asks.   
  
"Nothing.  I like you, is all."   
  
Gerard gives him a searching look, like he isn't able to discern whether or not Pete's telling him the truth.   
  
"I like you too," he says at last. "We should do this again--you know. If you want to."   
  
"I wouldn't mind that. As long as your better half doesn't object, I guess."   
  
"Are you kidding?  She said that if everything went well, she wants in on it at some point."   
  
Because of course the Ways are those kinds of swingers.   
  
Pete wraps one arm around himself, a sting of nervousness souring in his gut. "I might need time to work up to that one."   
  
"Of course. Threesomes are only fun if everyone's ready for the party."  
  
"I wouldn't know."   
  
Gerard just shrugs. "One step at a time." He gets to his feet. "You want anything to drink while you wait for the cab? We don't really keep alcohol in the house but we have...tea? And, like, sodas."   
  
"I'll just have water, actually."   
  
"Sure."   
  
"Thanks."   
  
Gerard smiles, and, mussed hair and all, he looks so pretty. "Of course."   
  
Pete watches him go. Something thrums, deep in his chest. He flicks his phone on and dials for a cab.  In the back of his mind, he can all but hear Mikey's  _feel free to thank me whenever_  as delivered with an air of smug superiority.   
  
Whatever.


End file.
